


Moments in Love

by pennyroads



Series: Moments in Life [3]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, New Year's Eve, pregnancy fluff, that’s it that’s the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 10:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17242199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pennyroads/pseuds/pennyroads
Summary: It was New Year’s Eve and Jughead Jones couldn’t find his wife.





	Moments in Love

**Author's Note:**

> It’s NYE and I got hit with feels. That’s my excuse, at least. Ridiculous fluff! Part of my Moments in Life series.

 

 

It was New Year’s Eve and Jughead Jones couldn't find his wife. 

Theoretically, she had to be somewhere around Archie and Veronica’s penthouse. It was pretty massive, so there was a chance that she'd gotten lost in a pantry somewhere. 

He opened another random door, finding nothing but an empty guest room that was being used as a cloakroom of sorts, ladies’ bags and coats dotting the bed and vanity. 

Jughead sighed. It was close to midnight, barely 20 minutes before the clock struck 12, and although he wasn't prone to superstition or clichés, he really wanted a new year’s kiss from his girl. His very pregnant, currently missing girl. 

Jughead searched the entire living room, bumping shoulders with several inebriated guests, many of which he didn't recognize - Veronica, being the undisputed social butterfly of the group, managed to rack up a guest list akin to that of the most seasoned socialites. 

Stepping through the glass doors into the cold December air, he scoured the outside deck and patio, which overlooked the city, bright lights somehow made even brighter by the commemorative goings-on happening all over town. Nothing. He didn't find her in the kitchen either, where a busy catering team assured him no one else had come through there. 

Frustrated, Jughead makes his way past the ample foyer and ran into Cheryl and Toni, coming out of one of the bathrooms, the former conspicuously applying a fresh layer of lipstick, the latter fixing her dress. 

“Practicing your technique for later, girls?” Jughead quipped. 

“Our technique is flawless, Jones. We’re two steps ahead of you mere mortals.” Cheryl replied, entwining her arm with Toni’s. “I’d say you're the one who could use the practice, but judging by your wife’s current state of grace, you're not doing too bad yourself” She added, moving past Jughead, bright red lips quirking into a lopsided grin. 

Jughead chuckled and winked at Toni. “Happy new year, ladies.” 

Turning back, he made his way down the hallway, the noise from the party growing duller as he walked further into the dark bowels of the house. 

11.45 found him standing outside the master suite, the one place he had yet to check. He knocked, feeling slightly uncomfortable about invading his friends’ personal space, but needing to make sure that Betty wasn't in there, even though why she would be was a mystery to him. 

The room was dark, moonlight casting shadows on the carpet. All the curtains had been drawn except one, making it impossible to make out much. It was a large space, tastefully decorated in shades of brown and beige. Luxurious, but not overpoweringly so. Lived in, he would say. 

The bed was the furthest thing from the doorway, past the walk-in closet and the door to the bathroom. It faced a window paneled wall, floor to ceiling, offering an uninterrupted view of the city. 

While impressive, it was hard not to feel a little claustrophobic, what with the surrounding skyscrapers always looming so close. It made him appreciate his more secluded, less crowded neighborhood all the more, and the look he had shared with Betty when Archie and Veronica had first given them the tour of the apartment told him she felt the same way. 

As he looked out the window now, all he saw was the same sea of lights he'd spied from the terrace earlier, the city that never sleeps living up to its name. 

He glanced at the bed, encased in soft light, and saw the shape of his wife sleeping soundly under a soft, thick blanket. His heart gave a little tug and he rubbed a hand over his chest. Sometimes his love for her felt visceral, physical on a cellular level. Like he could touch it, feel it pumping steadily through his veins like molten lava. 

Betty was eight months pregnant and as such, permanently tired, often sore, and occasionally grumpy. More than occasionally, if he was being honest. But he wasn't the one growing a human inside him, so he took it in stride. 

She'd been having a rough time sleeping lately, unable to find a comfortable position and needing to pee often. It wasn't unusual to find her napping during the day, whatever she had been doing - be it laundry or her latest article - forgotten midway through. He wasn't the least bit surprised to find her passed out so late at night. 

He walked to the bed, sitting down gingerly. She was on her side, hands tucked neatly under her cheek, chest rising gently. He was tempted to just let her sleep, but she'd been so excited about ringing in the new year - the first where there would be three of them (two and a half?) in their little family - that he knew she'd be upset if he didn’t wake her. 

“Betts,” Jughead whispered, tracing a thumb down her cheek and back up again, as gentle a wake up as he could muster. 

Hey eyes blinked open slowly, brow furrowing softly as she became aware of her surroundings. It only took a moment for Betty’s eyes to adjust to the darkness and she immediately recognized the person who had disturbed her sleep. 

“What time is it?” Betty asked groggily, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Something seemed to click suddenly and she sat up, blanket pooling around her protruding belly. “Oh no! Juggie, did I miss it?” 

It was dark in the room, but Jughead could clearly see her deep set frown, eyes wide and disappointed. 

“No darling, we’ve still got a couple of minutes. It took me a while to find you, though.” Jughead leaned back against the headboard and Betty tucked herself into his side, her hand coming up to rest on his chest. Betty sighed contentedly. 

“Veronica brought me here to show me the new Prada bag Archie gave her for Christmas and I guess... I couldn't resist sitting down and closing my eyes for a minute?” Her ‘minute' had actually been closer to an hour, but Jughead refrained from teasing her. 

“It’s a very comfortable bed.”

“The most comfortable. We should steal it.” 

Jughead chuckled. “And how do you propose we sneak it out of the apartment?” 

“We fly it out the window, of course” Betty said, mock exasperation clouding her tone. 

“Oh, of course! I forgot about my super secret flying abilities. I seem to be missing my cape though.” 

Betty chuckled. 

“You don't need a cape, Jug. You have your hat!” Betty’s smile was teasing, eyes shining with mirth, and Jughead laughed heartily. 

Suddenly, the noise from the living room grew infinitely louder, every guest joining in on the countdown to midnight, starting at ‘12’ and making a rapid descent. 

“This is it. Any last wishes for 2019?” Jughead asked, turning so he could face her properly. He placed his hand over her stomach, rubbing soft, gentle circles. 

“This. So much more of this; us, happy, healthy, together.” Her face was joyful and relaxed. She placed her hand on top of his and he knew she meant all three of them. 

“What about you?” 

“Oh, Betts. Don't you know? All my wishes already came true.” And as the clock struck midnight, they kissed. 

And maybe Betty was too sleepy to go back into the mayhem of the party outside. And maybe Jughead was too comfortable - arms full of her, and their baby - to insist on moving. Or maybe they were spending the first ours of the year exactly like they wanted. Soon enough, Betty was sound asleep again, and Jughead followed shortly after. 

They’d had their moment. It was a good one. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! Thank you for reading x


End file.
